Cigarette extinguisher receptacle

ABSTRACT

A cigarette receptacle or container which has a revolving drum element having troughs therein to receive a typical cigarette and partially surrounded by a close fitting curved member made of resilient material to snuff out cigarettes quickly and easily upon rotation of the drum. Rotation of the drum occurs by successive depressions of a lever pivotally mounted on the container in conjunction with a cog wheel having inclined teeth and mounted on one side of the drum or by repeated opening and closing of a pivoted closure located above the drum, the closure having depending prongs arranged to engage the periphery of the drum in ratchet fashion when the closure is opened and closed the container having a spring plate attached to the upper portion thereof adjacent to said closure, the free edge of the spring plate extending into a trough in order to prevent uncontrolled rotation of the drum.

[54] CIGA 1' ETTE EXTIINGUIISHER REUEPTACILE [72] Inventor: William W. Baker, 1616 East St. Louis,

Las Vegas, Nev. 89105 [22] Filed: Jan. 9, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 1,710

[52] 11.8. C1 ..l3l/237,220/20.5

[58] lFleld 01 Search ..l31/231, 237, 256, 242, 235; 220/20.5

[56] lRellerences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,912,598 6/1933 Snadden 4.131/242 )1 2,323,884 7/1943 Will et a1. ..220/20.5

2,335,695 11/1943 Radabaugh... ....131/237 2,598,175 5/1952 Jinks ....l3l/237 2,626,615 1/1953 Buroker.. ....l31/237 2,661,747 12/1953 Manion... ....l31/237 2,989,964 6/1961 Wil1ett.... ..13l/237 3,351,069 11/1967 Carper... ..220/20.5 X

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 468,541 7/1937 Great Britain ..131/235 Primary Examiner-Joseph S. Reich Attorney-John Joseph Hall [5 7] ABSTRACT A cigarette receptacle or container which has a revolving drum element having troughs therein to receive a typical cigarette and partially surrounded by a close fitting curved member made of resilient material to snuff out cigarettes quickly and easily upon rotation of the drum. Rotation of the drum occurs by successive depressions of a lever pivotally mounted on the container in conjunction with a cog wheel having inclined teeth and mounted on one side of the drum or by repeated opening and closing of a pivoted closure located above the drum, the closure having depending prongs arranged to engage the periphery of the drum in ratchet fashion when the closure is opened and closed the container having a spring plate attached to the upper portion thereof adjacent to said closure, the free edge of the spring plate extending into a trough in order to prevent uncontrolled rotation of the drum.

3 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures CIGARETTE EXTINGUISIIER RECEIPTACLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention.

This invention relates to a new and different type of cigarette device which provides quick and complete extinguishing of a cigarette by insertion in a trough of a rotatable drum surrounded in part by a close fitting curved member of spring steel or other resilient material 2. Prior Art.

Although various types of cigarette extinguisher devices have been used and known in the art, applicant knows of no prior art showing the structure of the cigarette extinguisher receptacle described and claimed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION element. The apron pressure plate is preferably of springy material to maintain a close fit around the drum. A burning cigarette is quickly extinguished by the combined snuffing action of the drum and the curved portion of the apron pressure plate.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a cigarette extinguisher which provides rapid and effective extinguishing of a burning cigarette.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cigarette extinguisher receptacle which has in a single device both the capability of extinguishing a cigarette and containment of the cigarette after it has been extinguished.

These and other objects will be more readily understood by reference to the following specification and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 including a drum-rotating lever assembly shown in phantom lines.

FIG. 4 is a section taken along a line parallel to the line 33 in FIG. 2, below the same and through the slot 44 with the lever shown in a down position.

FIG. 5 shows a modification and is a view similar to FIG. 3 with a portion partly cut away to show detail.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating the cigarette in a snuffing position.

FIG. 7 is a modified form of my invention in a side elevational view showing a section taken along a line similar to line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a section taken along line 88 of FIG. 7 with an alternate position shown in phantom lines.

FIG. 9 is another modification of my invention in a side elevational view showing a section taken along a line similar to line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and displaced downwardly therefrom as in FIG. 4.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 showing the modification in a down position of the plunger and lever shown therein.

FIG. 11 is a section taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 9.

With respect to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of my cigarette extinguisher device 10 has a container 12 which is completely enclosed on all sides and has a hinged front lid 14 on top. The front lid 14 is preferably located on the top of the container 12 at a position over a receiver drum 16 which is rotatably attached by pivots 18 on both sides to the inside opposite walls of the container 12. The container 12 also has hinged rear lid 15.

Receiver drum 16 is formed with a plurality of longitudinal troughs 20 in its outer circumference which are each capable of receiving a typical individual cigarette therein. A cog wheel 22 is attached to one side of receiver drum l6 and has a plurality of inclined teeth 24 in its outer circumference. Receiver drum 16 is preferably located near the top of container 12 and in a location such that rotation of the receiver drum 16 will have clearance between both the top and adjacent sides of container 12.

An apron pressure plate 26 is mounted on longitudinal rod 28 inside the container 12. Any other suitable means of mounting may be used. Apron pressure plate 26 is preferably of the same width as receiver drum l6 and preferably made of spring steel or other resilient material. Apron pressure plate 26 is formed at its inner end into a curved portion 30 with a plurality of perforations 32 therein. The curved portion 30 of apron plate 26 is formed to fit closely around a portion of the outer circumference of receiver drum 16.

The middle portion 33 of apron pressure plate 26 is flat and inclined downwardly towards the inside of the container 12.

The outer end portion 34 preferably is generally perpendicular to the bottom of the container 12 and has a bend 36 in its middle to provide spring force pressure to maintain the curved portion 30 closely around the outer circumference of receiver drum 15.

One leg of an L-shaped guard plate 38 is mounted rigidly to the bottom of container 12 and located so that the top of the other leg is just below the outer end of the curved portion 30 of apron pressure plate 26. The guard plate includes a vertically directed panel portion 380 to prevent debris from contaminatingthe drum lever operating mechanism.

Drum lever 40 is pivotally mounted to the side of container 12 and is located adjacent to cog wheel 22.

Drum lever 40 has a handle 42 which extends outside the container 12 through a slot 44 in the front wall of container 12. A pawl member 46 is attached to the inner end of drum lever 40. The outer end of pawl member 46 is located so that it may contact with one of the inclined teeth 44 of cog wheel 22.

The above embodiment of my invention may be modified as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 as follows. The top of the container may include a single hinge extending thereacross. Drum lever 40 and cog wheel 22 may be omitted. Their functions may be taken over by a two pronged forked element 50 having prongs 52 and 54, which is mounted on the inside portion of front lid 14 so that the tips of the prongs 52 and 54 make contact with one of the troughs 20 of receiver drum 16 while the front lid 14 is in an up position. Prong 54 has a rearwardly inclined bent portion 56 at its tip. A spring 58 connects prong 54 at a position just above said bent portion 56 to the inside surface of the top of container 12'. A spring plate member 60 is connected at one end to the inside surface of the top of container 12 and located so that its other end is in contact with receiver drum 16 and serves to prevent uncontrolled rotation of the drum.

Another embodiment of my invention is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The container for this embodiment may be round or oblong or square in shape and is shown in phantom lines. Receiver drum 16 is located in an upright or perpendicular position with respect to the bottom of this container and is pivotally mounted at each end at the top and bottom of the bracket 62. The mounting bracket 62 may be secured to the container by any suitable means, and preferably by its back portion 64. Mounting bracket 62 has a bottom plate 65.

A pressure plate 66 has a curved end portion 68 which fits closely around part of the outer circumference of receiver drum 16, and which has a plurality of perforations 70 therein. The pressure plate 66 is maintained in position by having its other end 71 folded or bent around longitudinal rods 72 and 74 whose outer ends are secured by any suitable means to the top and bottom of mounting bracket 62. Any other suitable means for securing the other end 71 of pressure plate 66 may be used.

The middle top portion of the curved end portion 68 of pressure plate 66 is formed into a funnel shaped guide tube 76 which is perpendicular to the bottom plate 65 of mounting bracket 62, and which accepts the insertion of a burning typical cigarette.

Lever 78 has two arms 80 and 82 and is pivotally mounted to mounting bracket 62 at 84.

The bent end 86 of plunger 88 is inserted through a hole 91 at the outer end of arm 80 of lever 78. The other end of plunger 88 extends upwards through the top of mounting bracket 62 through hole 91 therein. A spring 92 connects the end portion of arm 80 to the inner surface of the top of mounting bracket 62.

Arm 82 of lever 78 preferably forms a right angle more or less with arm 80 of lever 78. Any other suitable angle may be used. Arm 82 has an upper end portion 83 formed with projections 85 which engage the drum 16 as indicated in solid and dashed lines in FIG. 8.

A spring plate 94 has one end mounted to the middle portion of one side of back portion of section 64 of mounting plate 62. The other end of spring plate 94 engages a trough of receiver drum 16.

Still another embodiment of my invention is illustrated in FIGS. 9-11 of the drawings. Container 96 is shown without a lid; nevertheless, container 96 may be equipped with either a hinged front lid as well as a hinged rear lid similar to front lid 14 and rear lid 15. This embodiment uses the same form and rotatable mounting of receiver drum 16 as previous embodiments and modifications do. Receiver drum 16 also has cog wheel 22 with a plurality of inclined teeth 24 in its outer circumference.

An Apron pressure plate 26 is also used in this embodiment and is anchored at its outer end by a flange 98, using any suitable means, to the bottom of container 96, next to the front wall of container 96.

This embodiment has a plunger and lever assembly 100 mounted on the inside surface of the front wall of container 96 by mounting plate 102 which is secured thereto by any suitable means such as welding, soldering, or by screws, and the like. Plunger 103 has a T-shaped longitudinal shank portion 104 which slidably fits inside a slot formed by plunger slide bracket 105. Plunger 103 has a top button 106 at its end. Plunger slide bracket 105 may be attached by any suitable means such as welding and the like to one side of mounting plate 102.

The lower end of shank portion 104 of plunger 103 is formed into a projecting flange 108 to which the inner end of lever 110 is pivotally attached. The top portion of lever 110 has a projecting flange 112 bent into a position which engages one of the inclined teeth 24 of cog wheel 22. Lever spring 113 maintains this engagement. A plunger return spring 114 is attached to flange 108 by insertion of its outer end through a hole in flange 108 and maintained in position by a hook member 116 formed at the tip of one end of spring 114. The other end of spring 114 is attached by wrapping it around spring holder member 118 which in turn is welded or otherwise mounted to mounting plate 102. Any suitable means may be used to secure each end of spring 114. Plunger stop 120 provides a stop for upward return movement ofspring 1 l4 and plunger 103.

In operation, when a person wishes to extinguish a burning cigarette, using the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4, he merely opens the front lid 14 of container 12 and places the cigarette on the inclined middle portion 33 of apron pressure plate 26. The cigarette will then roll down the middle portion 33 of plate 26 and be received in a trough 20 of receiver drum 16. The person then presses down on handle 42 several times, thereby rotating receiver drum 16 and causing the cigarette to be snuffed out by the combined action of receiver drum l6 and the curved portion 30 of pressure plate 26. Receiver drum 16 and the curved portion 30 serve to exclude oxygen from the burning cigarette sufficiently to extinguish the cigarette. Also, where receiver drum 16 and the curved portion 30 are made of heat conducting materials, such as metal, these elements will conduct enough heat away to reduce the temperature of the burning cigarette to a point below its combustion temperature, thus serving to extinguish the burning cigarette. The front lid 14 is then closed, so that no odor of a burning or burned out cigarette may annoy anyone in the immediate vicinity.

The spring action of the curved portion 30 of apron pressure plate 26 also presses the burning cigarette tightly against receiver drum 16 and trough 20 therein, which also serves to extinguish the cigarette by excluding oxygen.

The perforations 32 of apron pressure plate 26 prevent the cigarette from sticking thereon. The upright leg of guard plate 38 prevents a build up of extinguished cigarettes beneath curved portion 30 of apron pressure plate 26. When desired, rear lid 15 of container 12 may be opened to remove extinguished cigarettes, which have been carried by the rotation of receiver drum 16 into the interrior of container 12 and deposited therein. A complete rotation of receiver drum 16 is not necessary to completely extinguish a burning cigarette; however, more rotation is needed to deposit the cigarette on the bottom of container 12 than to extinguish it by the combined action of receiver drum 16 and the curved portion 30 of apron pressure plate 26.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 may be operated as follows. Lid 14 of the cigarette extinguishing receptacle is opened, and a person places a cigarette on the inclined middle portion 33 of apron pressure plate 26. After the cigarette has rolled down into one of the troughs 20 of receiver drum 16, the person then closes lid 14. As lid 14 is closed the tips of the prongs 52 and 54 make contact with one of the troughs 20 of receiver drum 16 and as the lid comes closer and closer to a closed position, the tips of the prongs 52 and 54 exert greater and greater pressure against the troughs 20 of receiver drum 16 and cause rotation of receiver drum 16 in a counter-clockwise direction as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. When lid 14 is closed completely, the prongs 52 and 54 have caused a rotation of receiver drum 16 which has imprisoned the burning cigarette between the curved end portion 68 of pressure plate 66 and the receiver drum 16 such that the cigarette has received sufficient imprisonment and deprivation of oxygen to extinguish it and has been moved out of the trough 20 so that it drops on the bottom of the container 12. Except for the modification of the prongs 52 and 54, this embodiment of my invention reaches the same result as the embodiment shown in FIGS. l-4. The spring 58 provides suffcient tension to return the prongs 52 and 54 to a drum rotating position when the lid 14 is raised, the spring plate 60 prevents clockwise rotation of the drum as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 operates in the following manner. A burning cigarette is inserted into guide tube 76 which channels the lighted cigarette into one of the troughs 20 of receiver drum 16. A person wishing to extinguish the cigarette then pushes down on plunger 88 several times. As plunger 88 is pushed down, this downward action causes lever 78 through its arm 82 to rotate receiver drum 16. As receiver drum 16 rotates, the combined pressure of receiver drum 16 and the curved end portion 68 of pressure plate 66 cuts off the oxygen supply to the burning cigarette and conducts heat away from the burning cigarette, thereby extinguishing the cigarette. Further repeated pushing down of plunger 88 will rotate receiver drum 16 further around until the end of curved end portion 68 of pressure plate 66 is reached, whereupon the extinguished cigarette will them fall to the bottom of the container. During rotation of receiver drum 16, spring plate 94 prevents uncontrolled rotation of receiver drum 16. Spring 92 acts as a return for plunger 88 after it has been depressed for rotation of receiver drum 16.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 9-11 operates in much the same way as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4. However, rotation of the receiver drum 16 is accomplished by pushing downward on plunger 103. Just as before in the first embodiment referred to above, a burning cigarette is placed on the inclined portion 33 of apron pressure plate 26. The cigarette will then roll down into the receptacle and be received in one of the troughs 20 of receiver drum 16. Repeated pushing down of plunger 103 will cause lever to rotate receiver drum 16 by its action on cog wheel 22, thereby extinguishing the cigarette. After the cigarette has been extinguished, plunger 103 may be repeatedly depressed until the extinguished cigarette drops off into the bottom of container 112. Although I have described my invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of my invention, it is understood that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A cigarette extinguisher receptacle comprising:

a container having an open top and a hinged lid therefor;

a rotatable drum member pivotally mounted inside said container and having a plurality of troughs in its outer circumference;

a curved resilient plate member mounted inside said container and closely surrounding a portion of said drum member; and

prong means attached to the inside of said lid for rotating said drum member after a burning cigarette has been inserted into said container after said lid has been opened and into one of said troughs whereby rotation of aid drum member imprisons said cigarette within said curved plate member and drum member and extinguishes said cigarette.

2. A cigarette extinguisher receptacle according to claim 1 in which the prong means is pivotally attached to the cover and resilient means connected with the prong means biases said prong means in a direction for engagement with said drum.

3. A cigarette extinguisher receptacle according to claim 1 including means whereby said drum may be rotated in one direction only, and wherein the free end of the prong means engages in one of said troughs when the lid is opened. 

1. A cigarette extinguisher receptacle comprising: a container having an open top and a hinged lid therefor; a rotatable drum member pivotally mounted inside said container and having a plurality of troughs in its outer circumference; a curved resilient plate member mounted inside said container and closely surrounding a portion of said drum member; and prong means attached to the inside of said lid for rotating said drum member after a burning cigarette has been inserted into said container after said lid has been opened and into one of said troughs whereby rotation of said drum member imprisons said cigarette within said curved plate member and drum member and extinguishes said cigarette.
 2. A cigarette extinguisher receptacle according to claim 1 in which the prong means is pivotally attached to the cover and resilient means connected with the prong means biases said prong means in a direction for engagement with said drum.
 3. A cigarette extinguisher receptacle according to claim 1 including means whereby said drum may be rotated in one direction only, and wherein the free end of the prong means engages in one of said troughs when the lid is opened. 